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Story:Star Trek: Conflict/Battle of Reui
The ''Enterprise''-C and the ''Admonitor'' discover a new planet, Reui, and a new species: a new member joins the crew. Summary Chapter One Captain Young and Nox are in Sick Bay. They are being checked out by Dr. Franz von Aldrich, the Chief Medical Officer of the ''Admonitor''. The check-up on the captain is brief, since she does not like being probed by a "maggot": however, Dr. von Aldrich refuses to inspect Nox. He tells the captain that it is for personal reasons, to which she simply scoffs and leaves, taking him with her. Once they leave, Dr. von Aldrich takes out his comm-badge and contacts someone on the ''Enterprise''. He tells the person, whom he addresses as "my son" that the time is now, just as he injects a lethal substance into a sleeping patient, causing them to flat-line. Meanwhile, Young returns to her chair on the Bridge. A comm-channel with Shield from the ''Enterprise'' has been going on, during which they have been passing pertinent information to and from each other. Shield states that they recalibrate the Universal Translators for the Reuian dialect, which, according to their Bajoran contact onboard the ''Admonitor'', has only been heard by the people of this system. Young expresses her doubts over meeting a new alien species, believing that they might be another race of brutish monsters like the Klingons. Shield allays her concerns a little, by saying that the Reuians are not as war-like as the Klingons. He further goes on to say that they (the crew of the ''Enterprise''-C and the ''Admonitor'', which they have come to be calling themselves "Insurrectionists") are in need of a technological advantage as well as an ally against the Federation. Young states that the S'srellian technology on the ''Admonitor'' is enough to out-match what the Federation might have for the next thirty years. Shield agrees, but he tells her that the Reuians have never met humans before, and that meeting them will be a precursor to inviting them into the Federation once justice has been restored. Meanwhile, onboard the ''Enterprise''-C, Captain Shield briefs his crew about the coming first contact. They reply with quiet neglect. He asks them if they need to be relieved, but they say that their condition will not jeopardize first contact with the Reuians. Shield accepts this, and he leaves. Once he is in his cabin, two figures come onto the Bridge. One of them stays out of visible sight of the others, but the second is Dr. Franz von Aldrich of the ''Admonitor''. He greets them as compatriots in a common cause. When they ask him what cause that is, he tells them that they are united by their common goal: killing Captain Shield. Dr. Aldrich then goes into a long-winded history of a secret society known as the Brotherhood of the Aryan Race (to which he belongs): a neo-Nazi militant/political group formed after World War III in the early-mid 21st century to influence the policies of the petty despots that began to appear in the post-war chaotic environment. After First Contact, the world went into chaos again with the Cochrane Movement. On the outside, the Movement opposed the Brotherhood strongly for its low regards to the life of humanity. Secretly, however, the Movement was receiving help from the Brotherhood in conditioning persons believed to be "socially-backward" and "detrimental to the common good of humanity." By the 23rd century, the Brotherhood had been firmly established in the upper echelons of the United Federation of Planets. John Gill the noted Federation historian, Dr. Aldrich says, was a strong supporter of the Brotherhood and was sent to Ekos by the Brotherhood to secure a world openly for their cause. (See ). According to Dr. Aldrich, the Federation is still sympathetic to the plight of the Brotherhood of the Aryan Race. Many members of the Brotherhood, according to Dr. Aldrich, are still influential in the policies of the Federation. Most noted among them being Admiral Sanders, the deceased Admiral Leopold P. Shield, Vice Admiral Black and Commodore Henry Gardner. Those who remain, according to Dr. Aldrich, will pardon any who surrender Shield and Young into the justice of the Federation. Aldrich tells them that they have been unfairly torn from their families by Shield's rash actions on Typhon III. He also adds that they would not technically be betraying him, since it was he who betrayed his crew by sentencing them to become outcasts with himself. The crew agree with one voice, and join themselves to Dr. Aldrich's mutiny. Chapter Two Shield is summoned to the Bridge by Mr. Werner, who informs him that they are about to pass through the Bajoran nebula. The pass is rough at best, but both ships survive unscathed. Beyond the nebula lies Reui, a flooded tropical rainforest planet surrounded by a ring system which, according to sensor scans, is made up of ice, which had once been water that had somehow left Reui's orbit. Near the rings is a small orbit defense station. A hailing channel is opened between the ''Enterprise''-C and the ''Admonitor'', and the two captains confer that they should open a triangulated channel with the defense station. This accomplished, the two get their first look at a Reuian. Loghri'nah, the superintendent of defense station which he calls "Po'nali Outpost", greets the new-comers in the name of the King of Reui. He extends to them every cordial benediction of his race, and asks that they wait while he informs his monarch of the arrival of visitors. For the next two hours, the two captains wait impatiently for the arrival of the Reuians. But when it does happen, it is hardly good. A direct message from the King himself, King M'grash, declares that the new-comers are enemies of the Kingdom and the people of Reui, and orders that their leaders surrender immediately and come down to the planet as prisoners of war. Neither Shield nor Young want to start a war, and so they protest. Suddenly, both ships are hit by a wave of electromagnetic energy. When the power is restored, King M'grash tells them that this is just a warning: the next shot, he says, will decimate both ships. He once again repeats his ultimatum; for the sake of the ''Enterprise''-C, Shield surrenders himself on the condition that his ship, the ''Enterprise''-C, be allowed to leave Reui unharmed. The King does not agree, but he sends several of his fighter-vessels from "Po'nali Outpost" to attack the two ships. Once the shields on the ''Enterprise''-C are shut down, two Reuians beam onto the Bridge and kidnap Shield. Lianna Young calls a meeting of the senior officers on the Bridge. Nox gives sensor scans of the planet, showing that it is mostly swamps, with heavy monsoons on every part of the planet. None of the officers of her crew want to go down onto a hostile planet. After "chewing them out", calling all of them maggots, Young goes down onto Reui alone. Chapter Three On the planet, Shield is held in a jail-cell inside one of the many caves that the Reuians inhabit. He marvels at the signs of technology and asks one of the guards what this means. He gets a blow to the face for his question. Later, the Reuian who made first contact with humans is sent by the King to act as Shield's translator before the King. Loghri instructs Shield in some of the simple etiquette of his people. By this, Shield discerns that, despite their appearance, they are not savages. Loghri states that his people have always been a warrior-people, who also find time to make drastic advances in the field of science and astronomy: however, he adds, with the traitorous King M'grash ruling Reui, all of the progress will be for establishing his totalitarian state, which has not benefited the people of Reui in the slightest. Shield then asks why he has been made a prisoner. Loghri says that King M'grash has been warned about humans by his Cardassian allies. When Shield looks puzzled, Loghri begins to describe the new race. The Cardassian Union made alliance with the Supreme Kingdom of Reui when M'grash came to power, and has been using these new allies to consolidate his absolute rule. Loghri also explains that he cannot help Shield or his comrades in any way, since he also is in trouble with the King. Shield says that he will mediate Loghri's case before the King, if he is to be given a fair trial before him. Loghri doubts it, and tells Shield not to bother: the mere mention of the 'nah Family is mud to M'grash. After Loghri's lesson is complete, Shield is taken before the High Magistrate of Reui. He is charged with inciting a war by his presence. Shield states that he is on a mission of peace, hoping only to gain a new ally for his cause. The Magistrate and the Jury refuse to listen to his words, and instead order the guards to silence him. Loghri watches while they brutalize Shield. In an act of charity, Loghri attacks the two guards, killing one accidentally, and rescuing Shield. Upon learning that a Reuian has been killed by one of his own, the Magistrate places both Shield and Loghri under arrest, after which they will both appear before King M'grash...to answer charges of treason. In the cell, Shield and Loghri begin to discuss. Shield firsts asks Loghri why he did it, after which the Reuian says that he felt...honor-bound to do something for an oppressed man. Shield says that this is exactly his mission, and offers asylum for Loghri on the ''Enterprise''. Loghri says that there is no chance of escape, but thanks Shield for his consideration. They then discuss what punishment for treason they might receive, and Loghri states that he cannot go into the Low-Lands again. When asked what the Low-lands are, Loghri says that it's better that Shield not know. "The knowledge of what awaits has driven brave Reuians mad." Chapter Four Young beams down onto the planet during one of the once-in-a-decade days of cloud-break: where the heavy rain-clouds abate and the light from the sun shines down on the planet. However, this is at night, and there is no sun out. From space, however, Young can see the Bajoran nebula, reflected onto the surface of the meres, lakes and marshes of Reui. For one, all-too brief moment, she forgets herself and basks in the beauty of this sight. But this is hardly the time for celebration. She soon returns to her sense and begins to take in her surroundings. She is on a large butte, covered with marshes and streams on the top, with hanging vine-growth and water-falls down onto the ground below. Scanning the scene with her tricorder, she discovers life-signs coming from the cliff of a near-by canyon. Using the vines, which secrete an acidic substance when touched by human hands, she climbs down the face of the butte and into the marsh-valley below. Her hands stinging from the vine-acid, she washes them off in the wate: but this disturbs something alive beneath the surface of the marsh. A crocodile-sized sauroid-dog (half-reptilian, half-dog) covered with algae, rocks, barnacles and dead coral, with a tentaclular-tongue and six legs attacks her. She is able to stun it with her phaser (it was set at maximum, but the blast only stunned the sauroid-dog), but another one attacks. Though she hates to flee, Young can see no other solution: she runs, making sure to keep her path towards the canyon she had seen before. But the trip there is hardly as easy as she thought; and the sauroid-dogs are in hot pursuit, being quite capable of outrunning an extinct Earth cheetah. After ten minutes of running, the sauroid-dogs give up the pursuit. But too late, Young discovers the reason why: a sinkhole. She is caught, and being pulled in. There seems to be no chance of escape... When a powerful hand picks her up out of the marsh and puts her on solid ground. Her rescuer is a Reuian guardsman, who captures her in the name of the King and takes her to a secret prison in the cave of the canyon where she had discovered their life-readings. Upon her incarceration, Young discovers two other captives here: Shield and Loghri. As they sit in prison, Loghri continues discussing what they might do if they were to escape. He mentions The Redeemer, a Reuian super-weapon capable of destroying or disabling a fleet of 1,000 ships, which Loghri reveals as the real reason for the Reuian victory against the invading Dominion. He says that any hope of success for leaving Reui alive will be the destruction of The Redeemer. Just as he finishes, King M'Grash enters, and addresses the prisoners. He denounces Loghri as a traitor, claiming that he finally has the proof he needs to have him executed. Loghri spits at the king, which causes the guards to attack him. The king then addresses the two captains, whom he calls outlanders. He says that their ship will be destroyed in a matter of ten minutes. Chapter Five The captains are then taken out of the prison compound. The clear night has ended, and the day is full of monsoons and heavy rain. But Captain Young has a trick up her sleeve. The Reuians took her phaser and tricorder when they captured her, but they believed her comm-badge to be just a normal insignia, and so it was left. When they aren't looking, she tries to get the two of them transported back onto the ''Admonitor''. However, there is no answer on the other line. She begins to think that something bad has happened. Onboard the ''Admonitor'', Dr. Aldrich and the crew of the ''Enterprise''-C have come aboard. He demands that Nox surrender the ship in the name of the Brotherhood of the Race of Aryans. Nox says that he recognizes no such order, and they attack him. However, his possessing katra gives him Vulcan strength, which allows him to leave the Bridge unharmed. He heads to the Transporter Room, where he finds a dead ensign: she had been one of the first casualties of the mutiny, and her comm-badge was hissing with activity. Taking off and placing it on his own jacket, Nox picks up Captain Young's transmission. He beams her back to the ''Admonitor'', but it is too late to rescue Shield. Young demands of Nox to tell her what has happened to the crew, and he informs her about the mutiny. Suddenly, Dr. Aldrich makes an announcement from the Bridge, declaring himself the captain of an Aryan ship. He demands that all non-Aryans dispose of themselves by jumping out of the nearest airlock before he kills them very slowly. Young and Nox don't have long to wait: the oxygen on their level goes out! With seconds before asphyxiation, Young takes Nox through a Jeffries tube leading from the body of the ship to the saucer section, right next to the Docking Tunnel. This tube, connecting decks 1 through 4, has its own atmospheric controls, opposite those of the Bridge, and therefore they will remain safe there. They enter, and take a moment to draw breath before planning their next move. On the planet, the Reuians are furious that the other captain has escaped. They plan to execute Shield immediately, before he can escape as well. But Loghri intervenes. Taking Shield up in his arms, he sprints away from the site of execution toward a plateau covered with vegetation. The guards are in pursuit, but Loghri's sprinting pace is too much for them and they are lost in the marshes while he makes his way to the plateau. He reveals a secret tunnel leading into the heart of the plateau, which the two of them take. At the end of the tunnel is the Redeemer. The two begin to break it down manually, since its controls are locked. Loghri tells Shield that they must destroy this, if they are to get off planet safely. Back on the ''Admonitor'', the air has returned to all decks. Of the 175 crewmen aboard, only 99 remain. Young then comes to the Senior Officers Lounge on Deck 4, and contacts Dr. Aldrich on her comm-badge. She challenges him to a fight to the death: he accepts. He arrives on Deck 4 shortly, and the two begin to battle hand-to-hand. Throughout the fight, Dr. Aldrich constantly asserts that she has stepped in far over her head, saying that women are weaker than men and that he won't kill her...until he has had his way with her. This greatly angers Young, who activates the observatory: this removes the protective duranium plating around the glass floor of the Senior Officers Lounge. As they fight, a panel breaks and Dr. Aldrich is clinging for dear life just as a force field cuts off the atmosphere from escaping. Showing his true colors, he begs in tears for mercy. She laughs, spits blood in his face, and then breaks his knuckles with her boots. Dr. Aldrich falls off, through the force field, and dies from exposure to the vacuum of space. The Redeemer is almost destroyed when Shield and Loghri are transported back onto the ''Enterprise''-C. Shield returns to his chair and tells the crew that they should leave Reui before they have a chance to repair and fire their weapon. He then relays the message to the ''Admonitor'', who complies. The two ships warp out of the sector of space. In transit, the remaining members of the mutineers get together, including Loghri. They convince him to join their cause since he has been unlawfully ripped from his homeworld. Though he had been in the service of a traitor king, Loghri accepts their offer and turns against his benefactor. The others then decide what should go on next, since their ring-leader is dead. A shadowy figure says that they should continue their mission, and that it will all be fine in the end. When they ask him who he is, he says that he is Captain Shield's bane... Category:Star Trek: Conflict Episodes